Artemis :: Goddess of the Hunt
by J. Sparrow
Summary: The estranged daughter of Wolverine and Native was found as an infant by Kent and Nancy Harmond. The story of her, her adoptive and real parents, and her struggle to learn and then accept the truth.
1. Home for the Break

_A/N: I made up this storyline after discovering that Wolvie and Native had a child which was supposedly killed along with her. This is the story of what might have happened if it had survived. I own only Artemis. The rest I wasn't smart enough to think of first. _

She lay on her back in the valley, soaking up the sun's rays and listening to the life of nature around her. A bee buzzed lazily by her ear, bumbling to itself about its work. A cold, clear creek bounced and laughed from rock to rock along its twisted course. A half a mile away, in the shade of a poplar thicket, a doe stood guard over her young fawn. Artemis felt the mother's wariness as well as her pride in her offspring. She knew the deer could smell her, and she coaxed it gently with her mind. She wouldn't harm the baby. She felt the doe's pulse slow and her mood soften.

Artemis tilted her head back slightly and took a long, slow sniff of the breeze that played over her head. She smelled her mother's cooking, and licked her lips hungrily. It was almost ready, so she rolled onto her stomach and sat up.

A mountain lion at the other end of the clearing froze at the sudden movement, but then gave a slight nod of familiarity to Artemis. She nodded back respectfully and stood up. She growled with comfort and stretched her arms over her head. As she began the 2 mile walk back up the side of the valley to her home, she thought about the delicious meal awaiting her.

She had arrived home yesterday from her school in the small town of Roanoke, B.C., and was now looking forward to a long, beautiful summer spent at home in the mountains. Artemis' parents, Kent and Nancy Harmond, were National Park Rangers and conservationists, and Artemis had a great love of nature like them. Each summer break meant hiking, exploring and making friends with the countless animals that shared her Rocky Mountain home.

Artemis had always had an amazing ability to connect with animals of the wild, even sharing many of the same instincts as them. When she was younger, the Harmonds noticed this and were very happy to have a fellow conservationist growing up in their home. They soon noticed, however, that their daughter was not only a friend to many animals, but also very animal-like herself.

Even as a toddler, she learned to growl and purr to express herself long before she learned to talk. She crawled until a very late age, and her parents were worried that she might be developmentally behind. And then came the fateful day she first revealed her claws.

Artemis was 6 and the three of them were on a routine hike through the woods, when they came across a mother wolverine and her den of babies. They knew that a wolverine is one of the most fearsome and deadly creatures of the wild, and that - as in any wild species - a nesting mother is worse ten-fold.

They backed away slowly as the wolverine hissed and advanced upon them. Kent grabbed Artemis' hand to bring her behind him, but she pulled away and, to the Harmonds' utter horror, marched straight up to the dangerous animal.

Unable to move from shock and terror, Kent and Nancy watched open-mouthed as their daughter - who was the same size as the wolverine - stared down the predator. Though she wasn't talking, Artemis seemed to be communicating with the animal through growls and grunts. When the mother wolverine refused to back down, Artemis raised her hands.

The Harmonds will never forget the moment they saw three 6-inch long claws explode from the back of their daughter's hands. Artemis, however, acted as if she wielded these talons everyday, and slashed the wolverine's nose with one of her claws. The animal let out a howl and retreated snarling, hiding and peering out from the safety of her burrow. 6 year old Artemis stood there for a few seconds, glaring at the animal, then 'sheathed' her claws and turned to face her dumb-founded parents with a huge grin.

The Harmonds often told Artemis this story of her first unsheathing. Though she couldn't remember it, Artemis loved to her the story.

Nowadays, of course, she used her claws all the time. It was second nature. Her parents, however, had warned her at an early age to never let anyone else she her use her claws. Though the Harmonds didn't own a TV in their mountain home, they often heard reports on the radio and in town of the 'mutant threat,' and had seen the hatred on many a townsfolk face whenever 'mutants' were mentioned. They weren't entirely sure if Artemis was a mutant or not, but they didn't want to risk having their daughter subject to the extreme prejudice that people were capable of.

So, for all of Artemis' life, she only used her claws in the privacy of her own home. She was lucky, she felt, that her home consisted of an entire National Park.

While Kent and Nancy often entertained Artemis with her adventure with the wolverine, they kept from her a huge, dark secret that haunted them every time she unsheathed her claws. The truth was, they weren't sure whether or not her wolverine encounter _was_ the first time she had ever used her claws. The truth was, Artemis wasn't really their daughter.


	2. The Secret

When they had first gotten married, Kent and Nancy Harmond often took late-night hikes through the park. One night in particular stood out in their minds.

It was an eerily bright night; the moon was full and looming in the pitch black sky. It was so bright the stars seemed dull and distant in comparison. As Kent and Nancy walked along an unfamiliar creek, they were startled to hear a long, loud wail pierce the still night air. Though the cry sounded animal, they both heard a strange human-like tone and immediately raced in the direction the scream had come from. As they ran on, the wail replayed in their minds, and they realized the unavoidable truth; that had been the death cry of a creature in immense pain.

Only a few minutes had passed since they had heard the wail, when the Harmonds ran into a clearing. In the middle, bathed in the silver glow of the moon, stood a decrepit log cabin. There was no mistaking the fact that the scream had come from inside the cabin, for the Harmonds felt an unnatural fear hanging thickly in the air.

Just as Kent was about to go forward into the cabin, the door burst open and a huge mass stumbled out. Though the moon was bright, the creature turned away from the light and all the Harmonds could see was a massive, hunched silhouette. It paused for a moment after emerging from the cabin, then sprinted off through the trees on the other side of the clearing with a surprising amount of speed.

Kent and Nancy hesitated and looked at each other. Kent took a deep breathe and grabbed Nancy's hand. Together, they inched slowly towards the door of the cabin, but stopped short when they heard a low growl coming from inside. This was followed by a strange scuttling sound, a thump and a high pitched squeal.

Kent gulped and peered in through the open door. In the silver beam of light from the cabin's only window, he saw a small creature squirming slightly on the floor. Beside it lay a smaller animal, obviously dead, with a dark pool of - blood? - spreading out from under it and towards the live creature. Nancy stepped inside behind Kent and surveyed the situation. She gasped, startling Kent.

"Oh, Kent! It's a baby!" she cried, and ran forward to the wiggly bundle. She scooped it off the ground and cradled it in her arms. The baby seemed perfectly calm and just lay there, studying Nancy's face. Kent walked in and looked at the dead animal on the floor. A rat. He looked at Nancy and saw that she was thinking the same thing he was. If there is no one else in the cabin, then the baby must have…

He shuddered and kicked the rat into the corner of the cabin. But instead of making contact with the wall as it should have, they heard it hit something soft. Nancy stiffened and stepped behind Kent. He peered into the corner, but couldn't make out a shape in the darkness. Then, he remembered the emergency flashlight he always carried in his backpack. When he had pulled it out, he turned it on and slowly lifted the beam towards the corner.

Nancy let out a small scream, and the baby cooed at her. A dark purplish-black creature was lying sprawled in the corner, with the rat Kent kicked beside it on the floor. Kent cleared his throat. Nothing. He stamped heavily on the floor. Still no reaction. So slowly, ever so slowly, he crept over to the creature and tapped it lightly with his hiking boot. Then he sighed.

"It's dead," he reassured his wife.

"That other thing," she said quietly. "The one that came out of here and ran away… those two must have been fighting."

"Over what?"

"Probably this baby. Maybe they were fighting over it like food."

Kent stuck his boot under one side of the animal and struggled to flip it over onto its back. He stepped back in disgust at the hideous face he had revealed.

"What _is_ it, Kent?"

He shook his head. "Nothing I've seen before, Nance."

The stood for a minute in silence, staring at the strange animal. The baby growled playfully and reached for the floor. Nancy put it down carefully and the pair watched as the baby crawled over to the dead animal.

"Oh, Kent, keep it away from that thing," cried Nancy. Kent bent forward and scooped up the child. It groped for the creature.

"I think it knows this thing, Nance."

"Maybe… maybe that thing died _protecting_ the baby."

"Whatever happened doesn't matter anymore, hun. We need to get us and this baby out of here in case that other thing comes back."

Nancy nodded and took the baby from Kent as he put his flashlight away. They backed slowly out of the cabin, still staring in the direction of the dead creature. They couldn't help but feel sorry for it.

Just as they had gotten back into the protection of the woods, they heard something lumbering through the trees near them. They froze and prayed that it wouldn't smell them. It ran past them only 3 feet away, but seemed too preoccupied to notice them. They watched as it ran into the clearing and sniffed the air like a wild animal.

"Kent," whispered Nancy, "I think that's a… man."

Kent brought his finger to his lips, because the man/animal had frozen when Nancy whispered. It went back to sniffing the air however, and Kent let out a silent sigh of relief. He glanced down at the baby in Nancy's arms and noticed it staring at the man in the clearing, smiling. When the man/creature had finally entered the cabin, the Harmonds began to run away as quickly and quietly as they could. No sooner had they started their escape, when they heard the man bellow loudly into the night.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

They glanced at each other and broke into a full-speed sprint as they tried to dodge trees and jump logs and roots. Nancy still held the infant in her arms protectively, and it made it difficult for her to run, but somehow they managed to find their way back to a familiar path, which they followed until they reached their home.

They didn't sleep at all that night, but sat up by the fireplace, discussing what to do with the baby. They came to the conclusion that the second man/animal to enter the clearing must have shared the cabin with the creature they found dead on the floor, and that the first creature they saw was the one who killed it.

They decided to ask around town about anyone who had had a child kidnapped, or a couple of hikers who had gone missing who had a baby, or something. They felt that someone would surely claim the baby soon. But until then, it was their responsibility to care for it.

The next morning, Kent made up his mind to go back to the cabin and check it out in the daylight. Nancy pleaded with him to change his mind.

"Please, Kent, don't go! One - or maybe even both - of those creatures may come back while you're there and-" she stopped and began to cry. "I don't even want to think about it."

Kent hugged Nancy protectively. "Don't worry. You stay here with the baby and I'll go see if I can find anything else out. Maybe the kid's parents left I.D. or something in the cabin."

Nancy knew she'd never talk her husband out of it, and waved goodbye to him as he set off through the woods. As Kent walked, he became less and less confident, but he knew he had to find out what had happened. After a solid hour of hiking, Kent finally stumbled upon the cabin.

He approached the door warily, but couldn't hear any movement inside. He stepped in quietly and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the cabin. He saw the rat's blood stain in the centre of the floor and walked over to it. He looked into the corner where the creature… but it was gone. No sign of it except a large, dark stain where it had lain the night before.

The rat was still there, however, and Kent bent down to examine it. How could a child so small…? But that was preposterous. No baby could kill an animal the same size as it. He looked closely at the creature. In its side were 3 evenly spaced holes. He flipped it over. Whatever had punctured it had gone right through. He shook his head and stood up. No way could an infant have done that. But there was no one else…

Kent fought with himself as he looked around the cabin. Nothing worth even looking at. No bedding on the cot in the corner. A small table with two stools. An empty hearth. Whoever had lived here must have survived like animals, he thought.

He stepped back outside into the fresh air and took a deep breath. No clues to help him solve the mystery. He decided to circle the cabin just in case, and as he walked around the back he noticed a small mound of fresh earth. He walked up to it and it finally clicked where the dead creature's body had gone. Here was its grave. Someone had buried it last night. But who? Kent thought back to the previous night and decided that it must have been the man/animal that had howled so dreadfully as he and Nancy ran for their lives. Perhaps it was those two creatures that had lived in the cabin?

He walked back to the front of the cabin, and for the first time, noticed the blood and heavy marks in the dirt and grass of the clearing. Those weren't there last night, he thought. He examined the marks and thought back to his days in Ranger School. A fight definitely occurred. The larger animal must have won… but it seems both were injured. He thought back again to the night before. The second was definitely the smaller of the two. It was he who mourned the death of the cabin-creature and he was also beaten by the one who must've killed it before Nancy and I found the cabin.

Kent shook his head thoughtfully. No clues. Nothing. He began his trek back to their home and as he walked forgot the signs of struggle he had found and thought of what he and Nancy were going to do with that baby.

Kent and Nancy Harmond never returned to that clearing, and tried to push all thoughts and memories of that night from their minds. Artemis was _their_ child now, and whatever had occurred had nothing to do with them _or_ her. But every time they saw Artemis use her claws, they couldn't help but think of the night they found her, bathed in moonlight and the blood of her first kill.


	3. Stranger in Shadows

Artemis hummed a wordless tune to herself as she walked stealthily among the trees. She was thinking of the fresh bread and the fish she was going to have for lunch. She had caught that fish herself the day before from the creek.

Her father and she had gone out for a hike when she arrived home, and he brought his fishing pole along, just in case. They were sitting down by the creek and watching the light bounce off of the ripples, when Artemis narrowed her eyes.

"What is it?" asked Kent. She pointed at the silver back of a fish, almost completely hidden by the water. Kent smiled and flicked the fishing pole slightly to entice the fish.

Artemis sighed. "Daaaad, haven't you learned yet? Leave hunting to us professionals," she smirked and winked at her father. He laughed and shook his head.

"Go on then, smart ass."

She giggled and crept to the very edge of the creek. Snickt. She stuck out one claw in her right hand and raised it above the water. She didn't notice her father wince behind her when she did.

Not moving and barely breathing, Artemis watched the fish swim lazily along the creek, unaware of its impending doom. It was 4 feet away. Now 3. 2. Splash! A second later, Artemis was standing proudly in front of her father with a large fish skewered on her claw.

"Here ya go, amateur," she laughed. Her father smiled and opened his fish basket.

"It's so nice to have a big, strong girl like you around the house," he teased, and proceeded to tickle her.

Artemis smiled to herself as she remembered the expedition. She was almost home now, and the smell of the food was getting stronger. She was thinking of what she was going to do later that day, when the crack of twig behind her made her freeze.

She quickly crouched down and listened intently to the woods around her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the mixed smells. She always relied on her other senses before her sight. She was upwind of whatever had cracked the twig behind her, and she could feel its presence.

She continued to listen and reached her mind out across the woods behind her. Whatever was there knew she was trying to find it and blocked its thoughts from her intruding psyche. She concentrated harder and pushed with her willpower until she found another mind.

She gasped and opened her eyes, whipping her head around to look down the hill. She couldn't see anything. Or anyone. But she knew someone was there. She had seen its mind. And what she had seen scared her more than she could ever have imagined.

Just as she was about to unsheathe her claws and go out after whatever had followed her, she heard it barrel through the woods below her and away into the depths of trees. By the sound of it, it was very large. And by what she had seen, she knew it was human.

She sat a moment to gather her wits and decide what to do. She thought about the image that had popped into her mind when she found the other mind, and shuddered to think of it. It was as plain as the tree beside her. That thing knew where she lived. Knew about her family. And it intended to kill them.

Artemis took a deep breath and stood up. She shook her head to clear it of the offending thoughts and images and continued her climb up the hill. No reason to be alarmed, she thought. No reason to tell Mom and Dad. She had seen things like that before, anyhow.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she would awake in bed and think she had heard or seen something outside her window. She would grasp out with her mind and see things like what she had seen just now. But this was the most vivid she had felt yet. That thought did nothing to comfort her as she finally reached her cabin.

Her mother came out of the door. "Oh there you are, dear! I was just going to go out and yell for you-" her mother began, but stopped when she noticed Artemis' face. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Artemis smiled at her mother's concern and shook her head. "I'm fine mom. I just ran up here as fast as I could, and now I'm a little winded."

Her mother studied her, unbelieving. "Alright… Well, go wash your face and hands. Dinner's ready."

Artemis licked her lips and ran to the wash basin beside the cabin. When she entered the cabin, she purred at the delicious smell coming from the stove. Her father was already sitting at the table.

"There's my little hunting goddess," he smiled.

"Hey, Daddy," she said and kissed him on the cheek before sitting down. Her mother brought over the frying pan and divvied up the food. They dug in, and after 3 servings, Artemis was extremely full.

"Great lunch, hun," said her father.

Nancy smiled at him. "Well, without my two providers, we wouldn't have nearly all the food we do," she said.

Kent smirked. "_Two_ providers? Dear, all I do is wash the dishes." The family laughed at that. It was almost true. What with Artemis' handy claws, almost all of the chores were taken care of.

"What are you going to do on your first day off, Artie?" asked her mother.

Artemis shrugged. "I dunno. I was thinking I might just go for a swim in the lake."

"That sounds great," replied her father. "I'd love to go with you, but I've got some paperwork to do."

Her mother sighed. "Are you still dealing with that granola-couple who chained themselves to that old tree?"

Kent grunted and shook his head. "Some people are too stupid to understand that when a tree gets sick, we gotta get rid of it before it kills the rest of 'em. Even if that tree _is_ really old."

Artemis smirked. "Goddamn hippies."

Her father laughed, but her mother gave her a stern look. "Watch that mouth, young woman. And you," she pointed at Kent. "You are no better. You encourage it."

He shrugged and laughed and Artemis stood up from the table. "Thanks for the grub, Mom. It was great."

"You're welcome dear," replied her mother, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Now go have fun. But remember, be careful out there. Some animals don't _want_ to play. They are dangerous."

"Mom, you talk to me like I'm still 9."

"Well, you behave like it sometimes. Please be careful, honey."

Artemis sighed. "Yes, mother." She grabbed a towel off the line outside of the cabin, and started down through the trees.

"Bye, Art. Have fun," called her father after her.

"I will, Dad. Sue those hippies!"

He laughed and retreated into the cabin. Artemis walked quietly through the woods on her way toward the valley lake. The intense fear she had felt less than 45 minutes ago had faded, and she had almost forgotten about what she had seen. Now all she wanted to think about was how cool and clear the mountain lake was.

As she walked along, she didn't notice the other presence in the woods near her, watching her. When she passed the man, he watched her form fade away into the woods. Then he headed for the cabin.


	4. Terror

Artemis dipped a toe into the lake. It was absolutely freezing. She smiled, turned, and walked away from the glassy water. Then she suddenly whipped around, let out a battle cry, and raced towards the lake. She leapt into the air and shrieked as she was enveloped by the icy water. Her scream was cut short as she submerged. Seconds went by and the surface began to settle again. Soon only the slightest ripple remained. Then a small bubble broke the tension.

Artemis shot to the surface with lungs almost bursting and took a huge, refreshing gulp of air. She smiled and lazily floated on her back, letting the faint wind carry her over the water. The woods surrounding the lake were silent and sheltering. She drank in the peacefulness, watching fat white clouds roll along in the sky. They were white thunderheads, pregnant with rain and hail, and the hair on Artemis' arms and neck rose in anticipation of the magnificent mountain storm that was promised.

She swam and dove and floated for another hour or so, grateful for the privacy of the hidden lake. She had outgrown her bathing suit years ago, and had since only gone swimming in the nude. Granted, it was cold, but worth it.

She finally stepped out onto the rocky beach and let the wind - which had picked up now - and sun dry her off. The sky was getting darker, and the low rumble of thunder could be heard miles away.

Artemis slipped back into her clothes and dried her hair with her towel, watching a duck get out of the water and take shelter in its nest by the shore. Here comes the storm, she thought, and turned into the woods to go home.

She walked nonchalantly, once again humming the wordless tune. She had known the melody since she was a small child, but couldn't remember where she had learned it. Even her parents had no idea; neither of them had ever heard the tune before she began singing it.

Just as Artemis stepped onto the main path that led to her cabin, she froze. A large flock of birds had burst into the air on the top of the hill, and she felt their fright. Something was wrong.

Artemis smelled the air cautiously, but picked up nothing. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with a feeling of dread, and began sprinting up the path to her home. Something horrible had happened.

Every stepped seemed to be in slow motion and the dark sky above rippled with the occasional lighting flash. Artemis barely breathed as she ran through the trees. The fear was choking her. There was a huge clap of thunder, and rain began to pummel the ground.

After what seemed an eternity, she reached the top of the hill and the clearing where the cabin stood. She could barely see through the sheets of water, but she could tell that all of the lights in the cabin were out, giving it an eerie, lonely look.

Artemis stopped at the edge of the clearing, and knelt on the ground. The storm was impairing her senses. She could hear only the sound of heavy raindrops on the cabin, trees and ground. She could smell only the heavy, suffocating scent of wet earth and wood. She could hardly see through the rain.

Concentrating all of her consciousness, Artemis reached out to the cabin with her mind. She groped and grasped for another mind. Nothing. Everything felt empty and… dead. Where were her parents?

With her heart pounding in her ears, Artemis rose to her feet and crept to the front door of her home. The rain had become harder and was being pelted against her like thousands of tiny needles, but all she could feel was the fear consuming her.

Abandoning all caution, she bolted inside. She stared at the door. It had been ripped from its hinges and was lying in the middle of the kitchen floor. The screen was shredded and the wood clawed and chipped all over the porch and floor.

She opened her mouth to call for her parents, but her voice refused to come. She stepped gingerly over the door and towards the bedrooms at the other side of the cabin, being very careful to remain silent. Whatever had done that to the door may still be in the cabin.

Artemis crouched suddenly in front of the door. She had heard something move inside her parents' bedroom. She was about to reach out for the doorknob, when the noise came again. Unconsciously, her lip curled into a snarl and a low, menacing growl rumbled in the back of her throat. She reached for the knob again, and grasped it firmly before throwing it open.

At first she saw nothing. The room was pitch black. Then a sudden flash of lightning lit the bedroom like a still shot of a horror movie. Artemis cried out in terror and stumbled backwards out of the doorway. She tripped over a chair that was lying on the floor behind her and she spun her arms in the air, trying to regain her balance. With a scream, she tumbled backwards and knocked her skull against the hard wooden floor. The last thing she saw was the scene she had just witnessed flashing before her eyes.

A massive shadow moved stealthily out of the room that she had just left. He grinned wickedly at her sprawled figure on the floor and chuckled to himself.

"You made this too easy," he growled. Then, with a last glance at the terror he had left in his wake, Sabertooth snatched up Artemis and threw her limp frame over his shoulder like a rag doll. Then he lumbered out into the mountain storm, leaving the cabin standing alone and dark in the pouring rain.


	5. Awakenings

_A/N: Violence, Language and Innuendo Ahead… Reader Discretion is Advised._

First, there were lights. Burning, searing lights that penetrated through her closed eyelids and throbbed in her head. Then, there was the pain. It hit her like a sudden tidal wave of pure torture, making her clench her jaw until a tooth cracked. No sound would escape her lungs, and the only things moving were her hands. They clenched and unclenched spastically, writhing like they were separate beings from her.

From what Artemis could tell through her nausea, she was lying bare-backed on a cold metal sheet. Her arms were stretched straight out from her shoulders and strapped down to the metal cross she was on. Though she couldn't open her eyes to check her surroundings, she could smell the oil and machinery of electronics and robotics all around her. She picked up the faint scent of another person - but it was old. She could also smell the thick, metallic scent of fresh blood… her blood.

Artemis lay semi-conscious on the metal 't', feeling the molar she had cracked mend itself. She strained to hear beyond the mechanical whirs and beeps, but didn't pick up anything else.

Eventually, the intense pain she had felt when she first came-to, began to fade. She felt a gaping hole in her chest begin to close, and she winced uncomfortably until the feeling subsided. She had always healed extremely quickly, but had never been wounded seriously enough to have experienced that bizarre feeling - until now.

She swallowed a few times and tasted blood, and finally worked up enough will power to open her eyes. The massive fluorescent light above her sent shock waves of pain through her corneas to her brain, but she eventually adjusted.

One glance downwards to her body made Artemis gag and choke back the bile that had risen in the back of her throat. There were tubes, wires and suction cups coming out of and covering every inch of skin on her body. A faint line was all that remained of the hole in her chest, and - from the looks of it - there had once been the same type of incisions running down her arms and legs.

She wiggled her toes. She cracked her knuckles. Then, she unsheathed her claws for good measure, and… she stared at her left hand. Those weren't her claws. What the hell had happened to them?

Artemis whipped her head around to her right side. Both sets of claws were now longer, smoother, and… shiny? They looked like they were made of some sort of metal. Iron? Steel? Whatever it was, it looked deadly. That fact was helped by the fact that all 6 inch-long claws were also now filed to a razor-thin point.

As she lay on the metal bed, her ears picked up the faint sound of a scream in the distance. Her body tensed and she lifted her head as far as she could off the table. A looming shadow was coming quickly down the hall. She saw the silhouette pick up another; a small man - well, he looked small compared to the hulking figure. Artemis watched in horror as the huge creature wrung the man's neck, and she winced in fear when she heard the man's gurgled scream for mercy. But as she watched, his form went limp in the monster's hands and it threw his body to the floor. Then it moved slowly towards the room she was in.

Artemis struggled silently, and helplessly, against the thick leather bands tying her to the metal. She sheathed and unsheathed her claws and tried somehow to use them to tear off the bands, but just succeeded in scratching her face with them.

She froze and stared in horror as the hulking figure came around the corner and stopped in the doorway. It took a long whiff of the air, and then spotted her on the table. Artemis bared her teeth and growled as menacing a growl she could muster through her fear. As the form moved into the light, she was amazed to realize that it was a man… a very large, very fierce, very animal-like (and very hairy) man; but a man nonetheless. And he was laughing at her.

She growled again, but even less convincingly, and that just caused the man to chuckle louder.

"Up ya get now, kid. I've stalled 'em long enough for us ta get outta here," the man half-laughed, half-snarled. Artemis just stared up at him in awe and terror. He sighed. "Get UP!" he growled, and slashed through the leather bands with one swipe of his long, talon-like nails.

Artemis hesitated, but finally stumbled sloppily to her feet, still attached to the machines by all of her wires and tubes. She began to pull them all out haphazardly, numb to the pain. The man just shuffled impatiently and growled at her. When she had finally pulled out the last tube from her nose - gagging again at the feeling - she looked expectantly at him. He snarled and tossed her a hospital-type robe from a cart by the wall.

"Put this on, we gotta scram," he said, and without waiting for her, he tore open a door that Artemis hadn't noticed and took off down the tunnel. She quickly slipped the robe over her head and - with one last glance down the tunnel that he had come from - followed him as fast as she could.

He was far ahead of her now, and she could only follow him through the labyrinth of tunnels by pausing occasionally to listen for his barrelling footsteps and the occasional quickly-silenced shriek of a guard. It made Artemis sick to her stomache to have to run by the dead bodies, but she quickly got over that fear when she heard a gunshot ricochet off the metal wall beside her.

She glanced backwards as she ran, and saw that a crowd of guards were tailing her, and gaining on her with every second. She began sprinting wildly, without stopping to make sure she was following the huge man. She just hoped she was on the right track.

Suddenly, she was at a dead end. Nowhere to turn. Artemis panicked and began pounding on the metal wall with her hands. In her state of dread, she forgot about her claws. She spun around as she heard the guards approach her. When they turned the corner, they saw they had her trapped and slowed to a halt.

"Alright, girly," said the one in front. "We've got you now. Turn around slowly and put your hands on the wall. We won't hurt you if you cooperate."

She turned slowly to face the wall, and placed her hands on it. She heard the guard walk slowly towards her and then stop, and she was puzzled. Then she heard a couple of the men snicker. Her pace quickened. What was happening? She pricked her ears backwards to try and hear, but was unable to tell what the first guard was doing to cause laughter.

Then a gun was pressed to her head. A second guard approached and pinned her hands to the whole with his own. A third put his gun to her head, and the first lowered his weapon. He put his face up next to hers and whispered into her ear with a sneer.

"Why are you running away? Don't you want to have a little… fun?" With the last word, he unsnapped the clasps at the back of her hospital robe and let it hang from her arms, exposing her to the crowd of men behind her.

Artemis narrowed her eyes at the man and growled lightly. He laughed in her face and tore the robe off completely. She felt the leer of the two other guards near her, and her upper lip twitched into a snarl.

"Ooh, she's a feisty one, boys," sneered the guard. The men laughed creepily and stepped closer. The third guard lowered his gun from her head, and used it to thrust apart her legs roughly, so she was standing in a spread eagle. Artemis' eyes began to cloud over; a crimson cloud obscuring her vision, and she felt herself growl menacingly, baring her teeth completely and clenching her hands.

The guard hesitated for a moment, then resumed his leer and slowly took off one of his gloves.

"Let's see how well she cooperates," he said.

Artemis let go. The cloud of red turned to black and she roared at the men. With a sudden pop, she sprung her claws right through the hands of the second guard, who was still pinning her to the wall. Then she backed up from the wall and ripped her hands forward, causing the man to scream in agony and fall to his knees on the wet, cement floor.

The third guard stepped back quickly and lost his footing, falling on his back. Artemis stepped over to him and opened his throat with one smooth motion of her arm. As he lay dead on the floor, his last breath gurgling through the blood that was gushing from his neck, she punctured the other guard with the hand wounds through the spine. He flopped to the floor, his screams that ended so suddenly, still hanging in the damp, dank air. Artemis stalked towards the first guard. He was bug-eyed and stunned and trying to push himself through the wall to escape.

Suddenly, the 4 other guards open-fired on Artemis. She felt the bullets rip painfully through her skin, but was amazed to find that they were brought to a sudden stop by her bones. She faced the men, crazed with fury, and let out a loud howl. The bullets that had pierced her a second ago fell out of her skin as the holes healed. The men stared at her and turned to run, but within a matter of seconds they all too lay dead on the tunnel floor, staining the cement with their dark, thick blood.

She turned slowly to face the final victim. He had wet his pants and was crying for mercy. She stalked towards him and twitched her claws, which were dripping with blood.

"Please… please, no!" he cried. "I-I didn't mean… I wasn't…"

She cut him off with a growl. "Want me to fucking cooperate? Now it's your turn, bub." She surprised even herself at her malice, but was so overwhelmed by rage and so intoxicated with death, she brushed it off quickly.

She raised her claw, and his final scream was cut off quickly.

Artemis stood panting over his torn-up corpse, shaking slightly. The blackness that had obscured her vision, began slowly fading back into red… and finally she could see clearly again. She looked astonishedly at the damage of her rampage. Suddenly overwhelmed by the whole thing, she hunched over and vomited all over the floor. She began to sob heavily and sheathed her claws.

A sudden voice startled her out of her grief, and she looked up to see the animal-like man standing over her; a strange look of pride, indifference and sympathy on his fearsome face. She cowered before his bulk, and felt ashamed of her nakedness.

He smiled as kindly as she thought he could manage and reached down towards her. She cowed, but stood up as he lifted her to her feet.

"Ya did good, kid," he said, holding her chin up with a hand and looking in her eyes. "Now, we gotta get you cleaned up."

Artemis swallowed queasily and looked at his face. She felt she had seen him before, but couldn't remember where or when. Then, she glanced at the body at her feet and felt her eyes roll back into her head. She passed out - whether from pain, shock or fear, she knew not.

Sabertooth growled impatiently and caught her before she fell.

"Ya mighta done good, but we've gotta toughen you up, kid," he sighed and cradled her in one arm. Then he reached up with his other and jumped to grab hold of the ladder that was in the side of the small tunnel up to the surface. He had hidden in there and watched Artemis go through her first ever feral attack; a trait he knew she had inherited from an old enemy of his.

As he climbed up to the surface with her draped over his shoulder, Sabertooth thought of all he could accomplish with Artemis at his side. She could become his pupil, his accomplice… maybe even his own kid.

When Sabertooth reached the snowy surface, he draped Artemis across his shoulders and closed the lid of the escape hatch. As he lumbered away through the surrounding woods, he paused once to glance at the huge, abandoned-looking factory behind him, and hoped it would the last time he ever set his eyes upon the Weapon-X facility.


	6. A New Life

The next time she awoke, Artemis was in far less pain, and the scars all over her body had almost completely disappeared. She was lying on a small bed in the corner of a dark room. She smelled the air. Stale, dusty, with a vague hint of bad aftershave. But there was also the wafting, tempting scent of sausages being fried. She breathed in deeply and licked her lips hungrily, suddenly aware of the growls and gurgles of her stomach.

Artemis sat up and rubbed her eyes. She was very stiff, and she was about to question that when the sudden rush of memories came flooding back to her. Waking up in the mechanical room strapped down on what was obviously an operating table. Fleeing down the tunnels. Cornered by the guards. Artemis choked and gagged as she remembered what she had done to the men. She hung her head and cried silently, her body wracked by quiet sobs.

Once she had regained her control, Artemis studied the back of her hands. Snickt. Now that she could look at the claws closer, she couldn't stop looking. Artemis extended and retracted the claws continuously, watching the skin on the back of her hands rip open and bleed slightly as the claws extended. When they were retracted, the slits healed almost instantly and any trace of blood disappeared. Though there was a slight twinge of pain when she unsheathed her claws, Artemis paid no attention to it. She tried to look closer at the claws, but the room was too dark, so she stepped into the light in the hallway. Snickt. Schikt. Snickt. Schikt. Snickt.

"Havin' fun?" Artemis jumped at the booming voice, and stared at the huge man that had appeared in the hallway. He was looking at her with amusement, and glanced down at her claws. "Ah," he said, brushing his hand through the air. "Nothin' special about those. Seen one set, ya seen 'em all." He turned away and walked into was presumably the kitchen. Artemis continued to stare at the space where he had been standing, and self-consciously retracted her claws. He poked his head around the corner and raised his eyebrow. "Ya comin', girly?" he barked. "Supper time."

Artemis' hunger overruled her fear of the man, and she followed him into the kitchen. The sausages were sizzling on a pan, and he was shoveling hash browns and beans from another pan onto two plates. He grabbed a few sausages right from the pan and sat down at the table. He stared at her.

"Well? Get yer plate, then." Artemis was soon sitting across a small, dusty wooden table from the man. She immediately began to shovel the food into her mouth. "Whoa now, lass. Slow down or you'll puke all that up." She saw the wisdom in this and decelerated her eating. They both went back to the stove for 2nd and 3rd helpings; she ate almost as much as the gigantic man. When they had finished, he sat back in his chair and put his hands behind his head contentedly. "Well now, that weren't bad, eh?"

Artemis allowed herself a small smile and shook her head slightly. She was still terrified of the man. He sensed this and decided that it was time to break the silence.

"So, what do you remember?" he asked. She hesitated, not sure what he meant. "I mean, before the whole escaping from the lab thing. And your slaughter. What can you remember about your past?" Artemis shivered when he mentioned the 'slaughter' and then closed her eyes to concentrate. She strained and pushed her mind... but she couldn't remember anything. The first thing she could remember seeing was the light above her in... what had he called it? The lab?

"Nothing," was her quiet answer.

"Eh? Nothin' at all?"

She shook her head.

"Do ya know yer name at least?"

She paused, and thought hard. "Artemis," she answered finally. How she knew this, she wasn't sure.

"Last name?"

"I'm not sure."

He looked at her carefully, studying her as if he wasn't sure whether or not to believe her. "Well, yer right about that. Artemis. And I," he reached across the table, extending his hand, "am Mr. Victor Creed." They shook hands. He paused again. She looked at him warily.

"Do you know who I am?"

She shook her head.

"I," he stated loudly, "am your father."

Artemis swallowed hard and stared with wide eyes at Victor. Her father?

He studied her with beady eyes, waiting for a reaction.

She blinked. Swallowed again. And accepted it. Maybe he was her father. She raked her mind for a memory of anything else, but could go no further back than waking up at the 'lab'. She sighed heavily, and saw his features soften as he realized that she believed him. They sat staring impassively at each other for a few more minutes.

"So, my name is Artemis Creed?" she asked, grasping for a subject to talk about.

"Yup," he stated.

She nodded and glanced at her empty plate.

"Why don't ya go clean yerself up. The shower's across the hall from yer room," Victor said as he stood up and grabbed the two plates off the table. Artemis nodded and excused herself from the kitchen.

As she stood in the shower's hot stream, watching the dried blood wash away in rust-colored rivulets, Artemis cried silently. She had no idea who she was, where she was or what had happened to her. She was grateful that she had a father, though. And while his home wasn't exactly in top shape, she was relieved that she at least had somewhere to live.

After she had dried off and wrapped the towel around herself, she wiped the fog off the mirror and stared at her reflection. Artemis Creed, she thought, welcome to the first day of the rest of your life.


	7. Explanations

_A/N: This Program Contains Coarse Language. Viewer Discretion Is Advised._

The next few weeks went by quickly for Artemis. She spent most of the days cleaning and repairing the house, and her evenings strengthening her muscles and learning how to use her claws. Her father was there to train her whenever he could be, but he was often gone for days on end.

He told Artemis he was at work or on business trips, but she began to suspect him when he'd arrive home after a 3-day absence, nursing various cuts and bruises and the occasional broken rib.

She had been trying to work up the courage in the past week to ask Victor about the lab, her metallic claws and his so-called 'work', when one night, as they sat eating their dinner (that Artemis had made), he interrupted the silence by saying, "Well, I suppose ya wanna know what the hell that place was, don'cha?"

Artemis swallowed her shock and nodded anxiously. Victor nodded, belched loudly and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. Artemis quickly cleared the plates and sat across from him again, eagerly awaiting his explanation.

"I'm sure ya've figured out that it's got ta do with my work too," he stated. Artemis shrugged. "Of course ya have," he grunted. "Ya take after me." Victor rubbed his stubbly chin and growled lowly. "Lessee… where do I begin…"

About a half an hour later, Artemis was sitting dumbfounded, staring at her father. Weapon X? Magneto? Wolverine? _Adamantium_? The room seemed to swirl around her as her mind struggled to accept the bizarre story Victor had just finished telling her.

"Well?" he said slowly, eyeing her. "Any questions?"

A million and two questions were zipping through her brain. "So… this 'Wolverine' guy… _he _was the one who took me to… the 'Weapon X' facility?"

Victor nodded.

"To get this metal stuff -"

"Adamantium."

"- right, 'adamantium', bonded to my skeleton?"

"Yes."

"So I would become a dangerous killing machine for the terrorist group known as the 'X-Men'."

"Mmhmm."

"Who are led by a freak in a wheelchair, named 'Professor X'?"

"Yeah."

"And that place is where my memory got wiped, obviously."

Nod.

"And _you_… you work for some dude named 'Magneto'?"

"Sometimes."

"'Sometimes'. Ok, so, you're an assassin? Code named 'Sabertooth'?"

"Yeah. Well, no. Not an 'assassin'. A, uh… a… an _enforcer_."

"Right. Enforcer."

"Yup."

"And you were hunting the Wolverine guy when he nabbed me."

Sigh and nod.

"So, he's your Number One Priority right now? Like, for Magneto? Or your own personal vendetta?"

"Both."

She paused and nodded thoughtfully. Then she looked up and asked, "So, why are you training me to use my claws when you didn't want me to be used as a dangerous killing machine in the first place?"

Vic paused. "W-well," he stammered. "It's different when yer working for the right side."

She sighed. "I guess so."

They sat in silence again as she digested all this information. Just as Victor was about to get up and leave the room, Artemis broke the silence.

"Dad?"

They both stopped and looked at each other. She had never called him that before. In fact, they normally avoided addressing each other at all costs.

"What?"

"Why _do_ I have claws?"

He growled under his breath, not angrily, but as if in deep thought. "That's a tough one, kid. Really no answer for that."

"Why don't you have them?"

Victor snorted heavily. "I dunno how ta go about answerin' this, Art." He rubbed his face and cleared his throat. "You have those claws 'cause yer what's called a 'mutant'. There's nothin' the matter with ya, it's jus' how you were born. Like me. I'm a mutie too."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "How are _you_ one? Where's _your_ malformation?"

Victor frowned at her. "As if ya haven't noticed, but I'm not exactly a normal guy."

She shrugged.

"Well, I guess ya haven't been around many other people, lately… anyhow, that's beside tha point. I'm a feral. Means I got, like, animal 'instincts and characteristics'," he said, carefully enunciating the words. "You remember when ya freaked out at those guards in the lab, right?"

Artemis nodded her head a fraction of a millimetre.

"Aww, get over it. Shit like that happens, a'right? Anyways, when ya did that, ya remember feelin' like you were blackin' out, er summat? Like ya had a natural urge ta rip those guys ta shreds?"

Artemis choked back a sob and nodded again. The red/black vision was what had scared her the most. She had hated that feeling of being out of control.

Victor smiled. "That was a feral attack. So, not only do ya have those there claws, but yer a feral mutant too. Like yer… like me."

Artemis sighed and rested her head on her hand. "So, we're mutants. So there are other mutants, I gather? And normal people too?"

Victor leaned across the table and pointed at her with a huge index finger. "There's the whole problem. There's more a those _normal_ people than mutants in this world. And they _hate_ us." Victor started getting angry, and he reached behind him and threw a newspaper on the table. He pointed violently to the headline; **MUTANT PROBLEM WORSENING**. "See that? They think we're a _problem_! They go around puttin' worse an' worse laws against us, and throwin' us in jail! They've killed _hunnerds _of mutants! Jus' cause they're scared of us! HUNNERDS!" he bellowed. "We're stronger'n 'em, we could beat 'em all in an hour… if it weren't fer that no good, fuckin' human-lover, Professor Pussy and his fuckin' lugnuts in their spandex fairy outfits. He wants ta make the mutants and weaklings _friends_. He wants ta _help 'em out_. HA!" he boomed. "But Magneto has a different view. He's got the _right_ one, by God. The mutants are stronger. We're the better model of the human race. So why let 'em go aroun' killin' us? Why not _kill them first_? If we're stronger, we should fight back!" Victor stared furiously at Artemis. "Ya see, kid, bein' a mutant makes ya _better_'n the rest of them. An' _that's_ why I'm helpin' ya out with yer claws. You need ta learn how ta use 'em, not only t' defend yerself, but ta help me an' Magneto, and all tha muties who know how things _should _be. It's time the world was run by the superiors," he finished, still fuming, and wiped the spittle away from his mouth. He sat back in his chair and stared at Artemis, waiting for a response.

Artemis was now sitting far back in her chair, scared not only of her raging father, but of what this frightening news meant for her. A lifetime of persecution, fear and hiding… but also of war, battles and… killing. She had been saved from having to fight for the X-Men, only to be used as a weapon for the other side.

Victor seemed to sense her fear and confusion, and leaned across the table towards her. Laying a heavy hand on her shoulder, he spoke in a low, calm voice. "I know what yer thinkin', kid. An' I know how much ya hate usin' yer claws. But, ya gotta think about it. Yer doin' the right thing now."

Artemis looked up at her father, unconvinced.

"I'm serious. Would ya rather be the hunter or the hunted?" he said, looking into her eyes. "It's not a fair world, Art. But if we fight back agains' those who try ta oppress us, we can make it better. An' the only way we can do that is by getting' our revenge on 'em, and showin' 'em who's stronger. The only way we can win, is by fillin' 'em, with _fear_." He patted her shoulder, and stood up. "You'll get over it soon enuff." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Whoa, it's getting' late. Get ta bed. We'll start yer full-time trainin' in the morning," he yawned, then hulked out of the kitchen, scratching his belly.

Artemis sat in her chair, dazed. As she walked quietly towards her room, she thought of everything her father had told her, and decided he was right. She would much rather be the hunter. She just wasn't sure if killing all the normal humans was the right answer.


	8. Hold Yer Horses!

Just so everyone knows…

My story has not been forgotten, just neglected. However, I _have_ been writing it on the side and have new chapters to type up and add.

Do not fret. More is on the way.

And please stop sending angry emails. I'm trying. I'm a busy person, you know.

Have a gooder,

JSparrow


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